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REFLECTIONS 
OF  A  MUSICIAN 

BY 

F.    MARION    RALSTON 


BOSTON 

RICHARD   G.    BADGER 
THE  GORHAM  PRESS 


Copyright,  1920,  by  F.  Marion  Ralston 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 


The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


Music  Libniv 


DEDICATED  TO 

THE  YOUNG  IN  HEART,  EVERYWHERE,  WHO  TRULY 
BELIEVE  IN  THE  DIVINE  MISSION  OF   MUSIC 


PREFACE 

It  is  inevitable  that  one  who  has  devoted 
the  major  portion  of  his  days  to  a  calling, 
should  have  pondered  deeply  the  various 
aspects  of  his  subject. 

In  giving  to  the  world  some  of  the  views 
that  have  made  music  an  inspired  subject  to 
me,  I  do  not  ask  for  agreement.  But 
because  these  ideas  have  helped  me  over 
many  rough  places  it  occurs  to  me  that  there 
may  be  others  less  experienced  and  of  young- 
er years,  who  may  find  something  herein  of 
value  to  them  in  gaining  the  larger  vision  of 
music's  place  in  the  scheme  of  the  Great 
Musician. 

Should  this  prove  true,  this  small  volume 
will  have  served  its  purpose. 

THE  AUTHOR 


CONTENTS 


Page 

CONCERNING  INSPIRATION n 

CONCERNING  ROUTINE 20 

BYWAYS  OF  THOUGHT 28 

ON  BEING  GREAT 36 

ON  SERVING  OTHERS 41 

ON  WAITING 48 

DISCOVERIES 53 

ENCOURAGEMENT 63 

ON  CONTENTMENT 68 

THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  MORNING  ....  73 


REFLECTIONS  OF 
A  MUSICIAN 

CONCERNING  INSPIRATION 

Once  upon  a  time  a  musician  said  to  me, 
"I  cannot  tolerate  all  of  this  talk  about  in- 
spiration. Real  composition  is  a  matter  of 
finding  good  themes  and  working  them  out 
intelligently  by  the  laws  of  music,  as  evi- 
denced in  the  works  of  the  great  composers." 

I  didn't  argue,  for  I  have  long  since  dis- 
covered that  arguments  on  art,  as  well  as 
on  religion  and  politics  are  unconvincing. 
But  many  a  time  has  this  musician's  state- 
ment returned  to  me,  and  I  have  pondered 
its  meaning. 

Without  inspiration,  life  itself  is  dead. 
— Home,  when  that  dear  spot  is  what  its 
name  indicates,  furnishes  inspiration  to 
fathers,  mothers  and  children  for  efforts 
toward  their  ideals.  Friends  express  mutual 
faith  in  each  other,  and  lo !  the  piece  of  work 
that  could  not  be  finished  is  gloriously  com- 
pleted. Lovers  do  unheard  of  tasks  through 
their  mutual  love,  philanthropic  benevo- 
lences awaken  unselfish  devotion  in  the 
11 


Reflections     of    a    Musician 


hearts  of  thousands  because  of  their  inspired 
origin,  and  great  music  stimulates  great 
thought  and  noble  action. 

Can  any  work  in  life  inspire  mankind, 
unless  it  first  comes  into  being  through 
inspiration? 

Music  is  so  one  with  the  Universe  that  the 
very  heavens  would  fall,  were  it  eliminated. 
Rhythm  is  in  the  air,  the  earth,  the  sea, 
while  melody  bursts  from  the  throats  of 
multitudinous  feathered  folk  and  it  quietly 
lives,  too,  in  the  heart  of  man.  To  be  sure, 
good  things  may  be  put  to  base  uses  and 
music  as  well  as  literature  is  made  on  occa- 
sion to  serve  vile  ends.  This  is  a  distortion 
and  not  a  natural  growth. 

As  I  write,  I  hear  the  lovely  song  of  a 
mocking-bird  outside  of  my  window.  The 
song  is  a  burst  of  rapturous  delight  and  anon 
it  subsides  into  a  tender  message  of  quiet 
faith  in  the  goodness  of  life. 

I  wonder  if  after  he  sings,  the  mocking- 
bird measures  the  song's  perfection  or  fail- 
ure by  rules  of  harmony?  Of  course  the 
mocking-bird  isn't  a  scientist  and  so 
accuracy  is  not  his  chief  point!  But  neither 
12 


Concerning    Inspiration 


are  musicians  and  poets  scientists,  and  so 
their  true  utterances  come  from  the  same 
source  as  the  song  of  the  mocking-bird. 
There's  nothing  new  in  all  of  this.  Walter 
sang  to  the  old  master's  of  .Nuremburg  and 
he  failed  under  the  rules  of  scientific  pro- 
gression, but  his  song  reached  the  heart  of 
the  daughter  of  the  burgomaster!  And 
indeed  the  Masters  finally  pronounced  it  the 
prize  song. 

Rules  stand  to  music  as  the  frame-work 
of  a  house  stands  to  the  Home. 

As  the  center  of  the  Home  is  Love,  so  the 
center  of  a  musical  composition  is  sponta- 
neous, inspired  melody.  It  is  the  freshness, 
the  loveliness,  the  joy,  the  sadness,  the 
rhythm  that  count,  for  they  come  straight 
from  the  heart  of  Universal  Life. 

I'm  wondering  how  a  life  may  bring  forth 
melody!  The  genius,  the  one  who  from 
infancy  pours  forth  melody  as  the  mocking- 
bird pours  forth  his  song,  is  scarcely  to  be 
taken  into  account  here,  for  the  genius  is 
supposed  to  be  the  exception  who  proves  the 
rule  that  most  men  lack  initiative  and  crea- 
tive ability.  I  wonder  if  he  is?  Do  you 
13 


Reflections     of    a    Musician 


know,  I'm  inclined  to  think  that  the  genius 
proves  the  rule,  that  the  one  living  as  nature 
intended,  is  spontaneously  creative,  and  all 
the  rest  of  us  are  the  exceptions  simply 
because  we  haven't  learned  to  prove  the  rule 
yet.  Even  more,  I  believe  that  everyone 
may  learn  to  prove  the  rule! 

This  is  the  age  of  marvels — miracles — and 
man  is  growing  mentally  and  spiritually  by 
bounds. 

Inspiration  is  a  sudden  influx  of  spiritual 
light  and  it  sets  aside  all  previous  rules  or 
dogmatic  utterances.  That  the  common 
day  to  each  man,  woman  and  child  is  not  a 
constant  source  of  inspiration,  is  not  the 
fault  of  the  day  but  the  result  of  the  view 
point. 

Even  when  a  man  is  starving  and  dying, 
even  then,  inspiration  may  descend  upon  his 
soul,  for  the  recent  terrible  war  has  produced 
innumerable  evidences  of  this  through 
books,  poems  and  letters  written  by  soldiers 
in  their  last  earthly  extremity  when  a  new 
view-point  burst  upon  them  and  they  saw 
life  whole  and  not  in  fragments. 

But  to  go  back  to  music!  How  may  the 
14 


Concerning    Inspiration 


real  musician  be  possessed  of  inspiration  as 
a  natural  and  unbroken  state?  I  should 
say  that  it  is  the  result  of  a  state  of  Being. 
Music  is  allied  to  the  soul,  the  spiritual  na- 
ture of  man,  so  closely,  that  it  expresses  the 
spiritual  qualities  or  even  the  base  passions 
of  the  composer,  if  that  be  his  frame  of  mind 
while  writing.  Every  composer  of  depth  has 
a  musical  individuality  as  striking  as  his 
personal  appearance.  Perhaps  more  so! 
Bach,  Beethoven,  Mozart,  Chopin,  Liszt, 
Wagner,  Debussy,  Tschaikowsky,  MacDow- 
ell,  each  stand  for  a  certain  dynamic  inten- 
sity of  spirit  and  each  gives  his  message  in 
the  light  of  his  individual  conception  of  the 
thing  he  hears. 

If  you  cannot  sing  you  are  a  prisoner, 
though  you  live  in  a  palace  and  have  multi- 
tudes at  your  command.  I  do  not  mean  if 
you  have  not  a  voice — but  if  you  cannot  sing! 
Singing  is  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  the  beauty  of  life,  and  is  always  inspired. 
A  voice  may  be  only  a  perfect  musical  instru- 
ment giving  forth  perfect  tones,  but  with  no 
trace  of  soul  or  spirit  to  send  its  message 
home  to  the  multitudes. 
15 


Reflections     of    a    Musician 


A  great  singer  and  a  wonderful  voice  are 
not  the  same  thing,  but  he  who  possesses 
both  has  the  world  at  his  feet,  for  God  rules 
him. 

The  gentler  you  are,  the  lovelier  will  be  the 
melody  of  your  being.  Heroic  strains  are 
needed  for  martial  music,  but  at  the  heart 
of  every  inspired  composition  lies  a  great 
repose,  the  repose  described  by  Lanier  as 
"building  a  nest  in  the  greatness  of  God." 

For  every  one  who  turns  to  musical  com- 
position as  a  life  work,  ten  more  might  have 
done  so  had  they  discovered  the  inspira- 
tional source  of  melody,  even  as  the  traveler 
discovers  the  source  of  a  mighty  river. 

It  is  within,  like  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

Hum,  as  you  go  down  the  street,  if  it's 
only  a  popular  song  you've  heard.  By  and 
by  you  will  sing  a  song  you've  never  heard, 
to  your  own  great  joy  and  wonder.  Any 
deep  emotion  is  the  very  soil  of  melody  and 
once  you  have  started  the  habit  of  setting 
your  life  to  the  melodic  plan,  this  habit  will 
grow  rapidly,  until  you  will  not  be  able  to 
remember  your  melodyless  days. 

When  we  speak  of  the  inspiration  that  is 
16 


Concerning    Inspiration 


infallible  however,  I  mean  the  inspiration 
which  comes  to  a  man  whose  life  has  been 
consecrated  to  the  service  of  mankind.  The 
thoughts  such  a  man  utters,  whether 
through  music,  literature,  painting,  sculp- 
ture, architecture,  business,  science  or  reli- 
gion, will  be  inspiring  and  uplifting  to  the 
human  race. 

The  conscious  choice  of  adopting  one's 
highest  ideals  as  a  life  policy  is  a  most  nec- 
essary and  unavoidable  link  in  the  chain  of 
a  perpetual  and  enlarging  inspiration,  for 
God  only  touches  man  to  permanent  issues 
of  inspired  usefulness  when  man  is  reaching 
out  and  giving  his  best  to  serve  others. 
Then  the  great  Master  Musician  mightily 
floods  the  mainspring  of  man's  being  and 
gives  him  the  gift  of  the  inspired  message. 

Inspiration  frees  the  spirit,  mind,  heart, 
soul  of  man,  and  leads  him  to  express  ideals 
and  ideas  beyond  his  greatest  dreams  during 
ordinary  hours,  so  that  he  finds  himself  in 
the  midst  of  expressions  not  his  own  and 
yet  giving  them  forth  as  though  they  were. 

In  such  exalted  moods,  great  music  crys- 
tallizes and  takes  form  in  human  conscious- 
17 


Reflections     of     a     Musician 


ness'  and  the  one  who  is  the  medium  for  its 
transmission  wins  a  place  among  the 
immortals. 

Chopin  confined  his  work,  except  six 
songs,  to  the  narrow  confines  of  the  piano. 
Beethoven  tried  every  medium  of  expression 
for  his  art.  To  doubt  the  inspiration  of 
either  would  be  absurd. 

Inspiration  is  in  quality  and  purity,  rather 
than  in  scope  and  the  first  essential  of  the 
real  musician  is  to  know  his  own  natural 
channel  or  channels  for  expression  and  to 
avoid  all  artificial  effort  and  forcing  pro- 
cesses. Of  all  people  he  is  the  most  reliant 
upon  genuineness  and  simplicity  and 
whether  by  temperament  he  be  simple  or 
complex,  musically  he  is  compelled  to  be 
straightforward  of  expression  or  he  loses 
his  inspiration. 

Would  you  be  inspired?  Put  aside  the 
desire  for  a  great  career,  for  fame  or  for 
leadership.  Become  a  simple  little  child 
again  and  ask  the  Great  Musician  to  use  you 
(ask  in  your  own  way,  for  there  be  many 
ways  of  asking)  for  the  glory  of  His  being, 
to  reach  and  comfort  the  lives  of  men. 
18 


Concerning    Inspiration 


Then  return  to  the  simple  routine  of  the 
everyday  worker  in  your  art,  believing  that 
you  have  received  that  for  which  you  have 
devoutly  longed,  and  you  will  receive 
"according  to  your  faith." 


19 


CONCERNING  ROUTINE 

What  a  dullness  falls  upon  the  heart  at 
mention  of  the  word  routine! 

How  housekeepers,  business  men,  school 
teachers,  pupils,  preachers,  day-laborers, 
and  all  of  the  world's  workers  sooner  or 
later  come  to  dread  its  deadening  influence. 
Indeed  many  a  heart  has  broken  under  its 
tightening  grasp  and  many  a  mind  lost  its 
elasticity. 

Why  then  must  it  be?  Let  us  look  to 
nature  for  a  reply.  Every  twenty-four 
hours  the  earth  turns  on  its  axis ;  every  year 
the  earth  travels  around  the  sun;  Spring, 
Summer,  Fall  and  Winter,  perpetually  bring 
their  returning  seasons;  birds  fly  South  in 
winter  and  return  to  the  North  in  summer; 
stars  and  moon  shine  upon  us  by  night  and 
the  sun  by  day. 

Hundreds  of  similar  instances  arise  to 
confront  our  resentful  attitude  toward  rou- 
tine, until  we  are  compelled  to  pause  and 
consider  ourselves  in  the  light  of  a  creation 
under  a  seemingly  endless  law  of  routine, 
20 


Concerning    Routine 


and  to  search  intelligently  for  our  happy 
part  in  the  general  arrangement.  We  are 
told  that  "in  the  beginning  God  created  the 
heavens  and  earth,  the  sea  and  all  that  in 
them  is,"  to  serve  man.  Even  were  one  not 
a  Biblical  student  it  would  be  difficult  to  deny 
this  fact  in  the  face  of  such  wholesale  evi- 
dence as  abounds.  Gradually  with  the  ages, 
man  has  come  to  appropriate  for  his  con- 
venience all  of  the  properties  of  air,  earth 
and  sea,  so  far  as  he  grows  in  the  knowledge 
of  them  and  ability  to  do  so,  and  one  of  his 
largest  aids  toward  the  acquirement  of 
knowledge  by  which  he  can  appropriate 
these  things  is  routine, — the  simple  routine 
of  Nature. 

There  must  be  a  most  profound  need  for 
routine  in  the  lives  of  men  as  truly  as  in 
nature,  and  reason  is  our  faculty  for  setting 
us  straight  by  giving  us  the  true  sense  of 
poise  regarding  this  subject. 

As  soon  as  we  learn  the  use  of  a  thing  we 
are  in  a  position  to  become  a  master  of  it. 
How  tiny  babies  have  to  learn  what  things 
are  for!  I  remember  once  visiting  a  sweet 
young  mother,  but  our  visit  was  being  prac- 
21 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


tically  ruined  by  her  three  year  old  son,  who 
persisted  in  rolling  his  small  red  chair  before 
us  with  such  a  noise  that  we  were  unable  to 
converse  intelligently.  "Son,"  finally  said 
the  wise  lady,  "a  chair  is  to  sit  on;  a  ball  is 
to  roll!"  The  little  fellow  looked  at  her  for 
a  moment,  then  placed  his  chair  in  a  proper 
position,  sat  in  it  and  looked  as  important 
as  could  be,  now  that  he  had  found  the  use 
of  it,  really.  Then  he  left  us  to  go  and  find 
nursie  and  get  her  to  help  him  roll  his  ball. 

People  of  mature  years  do  not  always 
learn  the  use  of  things — or  ideas — and  adopt 
them  as  promptly  as  did  this  baby  of  three. 
Yet  until  we  are  wise  enough  to  do  this,  we 
cannot  hope  to  fit  our  life  work  into  the 
scheme  of  things,  so  that  we  are  working 
with  and  not  against  the  Creator. 

The  joy  of  learning  the  real  use  of  each 
event  in  life  is  a  marvelous  joy,  and  one  fact 
which  we  all  must  face,  is  routine.  Take 
the  piano  as  an  illustration.  Suppose  a 
child  of  seven  is  commencing  lessons. 
Watch  his  routine  of  practice  during  the 
first  year!  Painfully,  usually,  he  practices 
his  half  an  hour  daily,  and  with  efforts  com- 
ical to  behold,  learns  the  use  of  fingers, 
22 


Concerning    Routine 


hands,  wrists  and  arms.  Then  comes  the 
study  of  expression,  fingering,  scales,  signa- 
tures, studies,  interpretation,  chords,  each  in 
turn  taking  considerable  thought  on  many 
successive  days,  before  being  rightly  mas- 
tered. 

Year  after  year  new  problems  arise,  new 
difficulties  are  overcome  until  at  last  he 
emerges  a  concert  pianist  and  plays  the 
Tschaikowski  B  flat  Minor  Concerto  with 
more  ease  than  he  remembered  seven  sharps 
in  his  first  year.  Indeed  all  of  the  early 
knowledge,  painfully  acquired  by  routine, 
has  long  since  become  automatic  and  what 
was  originally  a  conscious  process  has  be- 
come an  unconscious  one. 

Any  line  of  work  could  be  traced  from  its 
beginning  as  has  this  pianist's  case,  and 
it  is  finally  realized  that  in  the  lives  of  all 
successful  men  and  women,  routine  has 
played  a  major  part. 

This  does  not  mean  that  the  routine  of 
today  will  be  the  routine  of  tomorrow.  No ! 
Routine  in  a  given  direction  is  only  necessary 
until  that  situation  is  mastered!  If  one  be 
then  spiritually  awake,  he  will  find  of  a 
23 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


sudden,  new  avenues  and  openings,  full  of 
unexpected  and  delightful  opportunities.  For 
it  is  an  inevitable  law,  that  one  who  has 
faithfully  persisted  through  days  of  labor  to 
the  mastery  of  his  subject  will,  without 
seeking  new  fields,  have  them  open  before 
his  very  eyes,  as  in  the  old  days  of  fairy  tales, 
and  Routine  will  no  longer  appear  in  the 
drab  of  a  task  mistress,  but  she  will  drop  her 
colorless  garment  and  behold  she  will  stand 
a  wonderful  angel  of  light,  beckoning  him 
forth  to  enjoy  the  harvest  of  his  own  patient 
faithfulness  to  the  technique  of  his  calling. 
But  the  oil  of  the  former  days  must  be 
enthusiasm,  born  of  faith  in  the  greatness  of 
his  mission.  It  is  a  great  matter  to  a  com- 
poser to  know  the  value  of  routine  in  writing. 
Self-depreciation  and  timidity  accompany  a 
certain  lack  of  conviction  as  to  the  legiti- 
macy of  his  work  and  may  indicate  that  he 
has  not  found  his  real  work.  However,  that 
may  not  always  be  so,  for  George  Eliot  was 
a  noted  instance  of  a  woman  of  genius  who 
repeatedly  feared  she  would  be  unable  to 
complete  a  work  begun,  although  she  had 
24 


Concerning    Routine 


completed  so  may  works  before.  Lewes 
saved  her  to  the  world. 

But  not  all  geniuses  or  talented  persons 
possess  so  marvelous  a  friend  as  Lewes  was 
to  George  Eliot,  and  the  most  sane  course 
for  each  person  to  pursue  is  to  faithfully 
follow  routine  through  all  of  the  tempera- 
mental ups  and  downs  of  the  creative  artist's 
career,  with  a  persistent  faith  in  the  success- 
ful result  of  honest  and  intelligent  work. 

Depression  is  of  all  things  unintelligent. 
Failure  is  not  a  tragedy;  but  the  stupidity 
which  permits  depression,  is,  since  this  is  a 
question  of  character  and  could  be  so  easily 
remedied.  Depression  is  usually  due  to  self- 
centered  ambition  and  is  quickly  cured  by 
the  simple  process  of  doing  something  foi 
someone  else,  just  for  the  mere  pleasure  ol 
being  of  service. 

When  the  present  routine  of  your  life  is 
no  longer  of  service  to  you,  having  fulfilled 
its  purpose,  then  you  will  emerge  into  a 
larger  life  that  at  first  will  seem  to  be  out- 
side of  the  law,  such  will  be  your  sense  of 
freedom.  But  after  you  become  accus- 
25 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


tomed  to  the  newness  of  it,  you  will  see  that 
though  your  field  of  work  has  expanded,  the 
law  of  regularity  has  never  ceased  and  while 
your  routine  may  have  changed  from  specific 
work  at  specific  times  and  places  to  the 
routine  of  always  being  cheerful,  optimistic, 
kind,  it  will  be  nevertheless  a  routine,  and 
by  being  true  to  it,  other  future  days  will 
come  when  a  still  larger  vista  will  spread 
before  you  and  a  new  view  of  routine  will 
increase  your  wonder  in  the  greatness  of  the 
law. 

Experience  increases  our  wisdom,  while 
through  routine,  patience  becomes  habitual 
and  not  a  strained  effort. 

Gradually  the  larger  life  unfolds  with  its 
selfless  possibilities  and  we  look  back  upon 
the  days  of  our  tutelage  with  greater  appre- 
ciation than  we  had  when  we  were  in  them. 

Wisdom  thus  steadily  teaches  us  to  live 
bountifully  in  the  now,  for  it  does  not  re- 
turn. I  say  bountifully  not  wastefully;  with 
that  large  sense  of  values  and  the  immense 
opportunity  of  having  today  in  our  grasp. 
26 


Concerning    Routine 


We  should  follow  some  such  motto  as  this : 

Our  prayer  to  the  Great  good  Father 
Is  just  for  some  hours  of  play, 
Some  hours  of  work,  some  acts  of  good, 
Though  they  pass  with  the  passing  day! 
To  be  healthy,  happy  and  loving, 
Wherever  we  find  our  sphere, 
And  to  sing  with  a  will  the 
Glorious  song 
Of  the  wonderful  Now  and  Here. 

If,  I  say,  we  were  to  adopt  some  such  daily 
motto  as  this,  Routine  would  assume  her 
true  aspect,  and  we  would  understand  God 
better. 


27 


BYWAYS  OF  THOUGHT 

I  look  into  the  depths  of  my  soul  and  there 
find  a  great  sea  of  longing  for  the  Unattain- 
able. It  moves  rhythmically,  as  the  waves 
of  the  ocean  move,  but  though  it  advances 
and  then  recedes,  it  is  still  the  Unattainable, 
for  when  I  have  sailed  its  spaces,  greater 
distances  stretch  beyond,  and  I  have  not 
attained  unto  it.  I  am  about  to  clasp  some- 
thing to  my  breast  that  is  inimicable  to  my 
being,  so  why  let  it  trouble  me  that  I  find  I 
may  not  realize  all  of  the  perfect  vision  in  a 
day?  Can  I  not  see  that,  were  I  able  to 
obtain  all  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Universe, 
so  that  I  no  longer  knew  the  urge  of  the 
Unattainable,  I  would  be  God  Himself?  I 
can  concede  that  I  am  a  bit  of  God,  but  I 
cannot  consent  to  the  monstrous  proposition 
that  I  could  become  all  of  God.  So  let  me 
rejoice  that  throughout  all  eternity  I  will 
ever  see  the  Unattainable,  for  when  I  have 
mastered  what  I  believe  to  be  the  Un- 
attainable, there  will  still  be  new  vistas 
unknown,  just  beyond. 


28 


Byways    of     Thought 




Who  am  I,  that  I  should  betray  my 
brother?  Better  a  thousand  fold  keep 
silence  than  add  one  jot  to  his  defeat.  How 
do  I  know  what  caused  his  downfall?  It 
was  merely  chance  that  brought  his  secret 
into  my  keeping.  Or  was  it  chance?  Why 
was  it  not  a  plan  of  the  Infinite  to  let  my 
Brother  know  that  there  was  at  least  one 
friend  whom  he  could  trust?  We  may  never 
meet  again,  this  friend  and  I,  but  should  it 
chance  otherwise,  long,  long  hence,  may  the 
Divine  Creator  have  blotted  from  my  mem- 
ory all  recollection  of  his  misdoing,  so  that 
should  he  question  me,  "Have  you  kept  my 
secret?"  I  may  answer,  "Have  you  a  secret?" 
Then  will  he  say,  "Do  you  not  remember?" 
and  I  will  look  into  his  eyes  with  frank 
innocence  and  reply,  "No,  it  has  fallen  from 
me  like  an  old  garment  and  that  past  deed, 
whatever  it  may  have  been,  will  never  cross 
the  threshold  of  my  mind  again.  Only  good 
deeds  live!" 

****** 

Do   you   remember  when  we   heard   the 
great  pianist  play  the  Liszt  Sonata?     We 
walked  home  that  night  in  a  great,  deep 
29 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


calm,  the  peace  in  our  hearts  recalling  Mt. 
Ranier,  majestic  there  amidst  the  clouds. 
Infinity  had  spoken  and  we  had  heard!  Ah, 
the  great  moments!  Yet  the  sages  tell  us 
that  the  smallest  moment  is  as  God-filled 
with  wonder  as  are  these  so-called  greater 
times.  Can  it  be  that  our  eyes  are  so  blinded 
by  convention  that  we  despise  the  day  of 
small  things  from  our  infancy  and  the  spirit 
is  dulled  till  tenderness  in  small  ways 
vanishes!  At  what  age  did  false  values 
enter  the  heart  and  mind  and  turn  us  from 
God  to  worldliness? 

****** 

Why  need  you  and  I  have  a  following? 
Or  why  need  we  follow?  Can  I  truly  dictate 
to  a  soul,  or  can  a  man  plan  for  me?  Some- 
one seems  to  be  what  I  wish  I  were,  so  I  run 
to  his  door  day  after  day  and  become  so  fair 
a  copy  of  him  that  the  stupid  ones  think  I'm 
real !  Or  another  seeing  me  through  colored 
glasses  and  thinking  me  to  be  somewhat 
more  than  I  am,  besieges  me  with  his 
company  until  I  have  a  desire  to  shock  him 
in  some  vulgar  fashion  or  put  a  card  out  on 
my  front  door,  "Not  at  Home."  Why  can 
30 


Byways     of     Thought 


we  not  simply  be  ourselves?  The  very  act 
of  being  true  attracts  all  true  thought  and 
an  ever  widening  circle  of  sincerity  includes 
such  thinkers  within  its  reach. 

****** 

I  have  observed  that  the  great  Spirit  of 
Wisdom  plans  for  us,  and  have  learned 
beyond  all  doubt  that  real  growth  is  accomp- 
lished quietly  and  steadily,  as  Nature  shows. 
There  is  nothing  in  a  forced  development. 
Genius  shows  itself  quite  early  generally, 
though  sometimes  it  conies  to  the  attention 
of  the  world  late,  as  in  the  case  of  Du 
Maurier,  who  wrote  "Trilby"  in  the  advanced 
period  of  his  life,  although  his  life-work  had 
been  painting.  In  his  case  talent  protected 
genius,  until  the  genius  was  ripe  for  expres- 
sion. I  have  a  deep  compassion  for  child- 
prodigies.  Seldom  do  they  have  a  fair 
chance  to  develop  normally,  for  once  the 
world  discovers  them  with  its  craving  for 
novelty,  only  the  wisdom  of  strong  guardians 
can  save  them  for  the  day  of  their  ripening. 

****** 

It  were  wisdom  not  to  drop  stitches  in 
31 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


life's  knitting,  for  it  means  going  back  and 
doing  the  work  over  again,  or  leaving  a  weak 
spot  in  the  fabric  of  life  that  some  day  may 
mar,  beyond  recovery,  the  wholeness  of  what 
might  have  been  a  beautiful  life!  Perfect 
work  is  what  is  required  of  us, 

****** 

Nothing  more  quickly  brings  the  soul  to 
itself  than  the  healing  balm  of  Nature.  We 
have  been  sitting  by  a  lovely  lake  this  even- 
ing, a  friend  and  I,  watching  the  frail  canoes 
glide  along,  drinking  with  our  eyes  the  gor- 
geous rhododendrons'  showy  brilliance  and 
letting  the  breezes  play  about  us  with 
soothing  touch,  as  the  birds  sing  their  last 
evening  song.  How  small  are  human  plan- 
nings  amidst  such  surroundings,  and  how 
helpless  man  is,  if  he  dares  to  stand  against 
God!  Egotism  hides  its  head  and  fades  into 
the  artificial  background  of  its  mortal  pre- 
sumption, when  brought  but  once,  face  to 
face  with  a  scene  such  as  this.  Nothing  more 
quickly  bring  the  soul  to  itself  than  the 
healing  balm  of  Nature. 


32 


Byways    of     Thought 


We  have  been  reading  Mrs.  Browning's 
"Sonnets  from  the  Portuguese."  Doubtless 
such  poetry  is  not  for  the  crowd.  It  is  rare, 
I  know,  just  a  wonderful  orchid  of  thought 
or  a  bird  of  Paradise.  I  recall  a  little  slum 
child  who  thinks  a  dandelion  the  loveliest 
flower  she  knows,  and  scarcely  looks  twice 
at  a  violet.  The  heart  of  all  life  is  the  same. 
If  Mrs.  Browning  clothes  her  heart's 
utterances  in  too  stately  a  rhythm  for  the 
unlettered  ones,  yet  her  power  of  loving 
made  her  one  with  all  who  know  love  and 
mankind  are  the  better  for  her  life  though 
they  read  never  a  word  of  her  poetry. 

Throughout  the  Universe  the  laws  of 
righteousness  are  assailed  by  the  unknow- 
ing, who  mistake  evil  for  good.  Everyone 
who  thinks,  endeavoring  to  live  to  his 
highest  level,  is  a  part  of  the  law  of  right- 
eousness, whatever  may  be  the  line  of  his 
activity.  It  doesn't  so  much  matter  whether 
the  masses  have  head  his  book  or  not,  but 
it  does  matter  very  much  indeed  whether 
he  has  written  his  best. 


33 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


The  little  Sorority  House  nestles  under  the 
hill  and  its  hospitable  door  stands  open  to 
welcome  its  members  whether  they  be  of  a 
year's  standing  or  twenty  years.  All  differ- 
ences fall  away,  and  a  college  home  lasts  a 
life-time.  Bless  you,  little  house!  Your 
pure,  warm  atmosphere  breathes  unchang- 
ing fidelity  and  sends  its  message  all  over  the 
world  wherever  your  daughters  may  be. 

Once  I  held  a  fine  scorn  of  such  exclusive 
companies  as  seemed  to  form  the  body  of 
select  and  limited  societies,  but  I  do  so  no 
longer.  It  is  unwise  to  scorn  the  thing  you 
do  not  know,  for  all  good  things  grow  beau- 
tiful with  knowledge.  Gossip  would  rob  the 
individual,  the  society,  the  church,  college, 
or  club  of  their  value.  Such  gossip  comes 
from  the  ignorant  without  and  languid 
within;  the  workers  know  the  beauty  of 
association  with  those  of  congenial  tastes. 

Should  one  be  upbraided  for  needing  to  be 
alone  occasionally?  Or  be  criticised  for 
loving  a  small,  select  company  now  and 
then? 

There  are  daily  opportunities  for  being  of 
and  with  the  crowd  and  finding  the  ideal  in 
34 


Byways    of     Thought 


the  usual,  so  why  begrudge  a  choice  com- 
pany upon  rare  occasions  any  more  than 
you  would  a  choice  book,  which  the  public 
passes  by?  At  least  such  a  company  satis- 
fies your  craving  for  the  artistic  and  uncom- 
mon thing.  Creative  Intelligence  gives  all, 
both  common  and  uncommon,  therefore 
pray  be  not  so  exclusive  as  to  deny  either 
one,  since  by  so  doing  you  cut  life  right  in 
the  middle  and  become  in  youth,  warped  in 
the  making.  Take  each  experience  as  it 
comes  and  refuse  only  (if  refuse  you  must) 
because  the  multiplicity  of  opportunities  is 
too  great  to  be  wholly  embraced.  Fly  from 
no  society,  neither  aristocratic  nor  plebeian, 
for  you  have  a  strain  of  them  both  in  you, 
deny  it  though  you  may.  You  need  the 
society  assembled  at  your  front  door  or  it 
would  not  be  there. 

Bless  you,  dear  little  sorority  house  under 
the  hill,  and  bless  you,  oh  my  sisters  far  and 
near! 


35 


ON  BEING  GREAT 

I  have  recently  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing three  unusually  remarkable  women,'  and 
I  recall  with  interest  their  dissimilarity. 
The  first  one  was  so  egotistically  over- 
bearing that  she  was  offensive  even 
when  she  tried  to  be  gracious;  the 
second  made  a  visible  effort  to  be  courteous 
and  a  deep  humanness  underlying  the  effort, 
constructed  a  bridge  of  sympathy  which 
somehow  gained  your  affectionate  compre- 
hension; but  the  third  was  great  simply. 
She  didn't  try  to  say  or  do  anything  partic- 
ularly, even  while  you  felt  that  she  was 
interested  in  you  with  a  simplicity  that  swept 
away  all  artificiality,  and  left  you  free  to  be 
yourself.  What  she  said  was  interesting  of 
course,  but  the  feeling  at  the  end  of  ten  min- 
utes that  you  had  always  known  her  was 
the  miracle,  and  I  am  still  wrapt  in  the 
wonder  of  it. 

It  would  seem  that  greatness  were  nothing 

more  nor  less  than  being  one's  unselfed  self, 

if  I  may  so  word  it.     Allowing  for  various 

differences  in  temperament  and  individuality, 

36 


On    Being    Great 


the  quality  of  true  greatness  is  one,  and  is 
built  upon  simplicity. 

The  past  twenty-five  years  have  seen 
remarkable  evolutions  in  the  thought  and 
lives  of  women,  but  in  one  respect  they  will 
never  be  able  to  change,  since  womanhood 
stands  for  sympathetic  insight  into  the  needs 
of  the  race,  with  a  mothering,  and  not  an 
intellectual  impulse.  No  matter  how  bril- 
liantly successful  a  woman's  professional 
career  may  be,  she  does  not  fulfill  the  prime 
reason  for  her  existence  unless  she 
approaches  life  with  a  large  and  unselfish 
affection,  putting  herself  warmly  into  the 
other's  place. 

We  love  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
because  it  carries  with  it  an  impression  of 
approachableness ;  as  if,  had  you  met  him, 
he  would  have  had  time  for  you.  Just  such 
a  sense  of  having  plenty  of  time,  is  insep- 
arable from  true  greatness;  only  the  small 
mind  hurries,  lest  it  overlook  something.  The 
great  mind  has  such  a  calm  confidence  in 
the  ruling  Power  of  the  Universe,  that  he 
knows  all  necessary  things  will  be  done:  and 
should  he  overlook  a  detail  in  some  way, 
37 


Reflections     of    a    Musician 


another  will  attend  to  it  better  than  he  could 
have  done,  or  else  he  will  be  brought  back 
to  it,  in  time  to  have  it  serve  its  purpose. 
The  cause  of  hurry  is  lack  of  thought,  for 
when  one  thinks  enough  to  realize  the  true 
tranquillity  at  the  very  heart  of  creation, 
there  is  no  desire  for  hurry.  Rather  is  there 
a  restful  at-one-ment  with  the  present  en- 
vironment and  a  conviction  that  all  is  well. 

Another  vital  element  in  greatness  is  alert- 
ness. This  quality  insures  a  permanent 
interest  for  its  possessor,  in  all  persons, 
events  and  places  that  come  into  his  day; 
ennui  is  an  unknown  word  and  vital  interest 
is  the  result  of  true  thought.  Have  you  ever 
noticed  how,  when  you  have  for  the  first 
time  taken  up  a  new  subject,  you  are  contin- 
ually meeting  persons  or  reading  articles 
giving  information  on  this  subject?  You 
might  have  known  those  persons  or  read 
those  papers  before,  yet  somehow  you  have 
failed  to  discover  the  slightest  mention  of 
the  matter,  until  you  awakened  a  new  inter- 
est and  then  are  you  amazed  to  find  how 
much  many  know  on  a  subject  that  had  been 
38 


On    Being    Great 


to  you  so  unimportant  until  some  event 
thrust  it  in  your  way. 

Truly  great  people  have  the  faculty  of 
being  so  interested  in  others,  that  they  call 
forth  all  of  the  secret  stores  of  hidden  know- 
ledge in  them,  and  learn  more  about  them 
in  a  few  hours  than  their  life-long  neighbors 
know. 

Another  element  of  greatness  is  spon- 
taneity. There  is  always  the  inner  urge  to 
do  the  thing  that  is  intrinsically  great.  You 
ask  me  how  I  know  it,  and  I  can  only  say 
that  I  do  not  know  how  I  know  it;  but  I  am 
very  sure  that  should  you  interview  ten  men 
of  creative  and  inventive  ability  of  the  first 
rank,  each  would  tell  you,  in  his  own  way, 
that  a  desire  to  do  this  thing  so  possessed 
him  that  he  had  no  choice  in  the  matter;  it 
was  not  premeditated  but  spontaneous. 

A  great  musical  composition  is  the  march 
of  an  onward  impulse  incomprehensible  to 
the  uninspired.  When  a  masterpiece  comes 
forth,  a  greater  mind  than  a  mere  human 
brain  can  produce,  writes  it,  and  the  so- 
called  composer  is  merely  the  scribe.  In  his 
true  moments  the  composer  acknowledges 
39 


Reflections     of     a     Musician 


this  and  after  such  a  piece  is  written  he  is 
more  amazed  than  anyone  else  at  its  beauty. 
Were  all  creative  artists  to  keep  this  selfless 
fact  in  view,  every  artistic  production  would 
be  a  masterpiece  and  every  creative  artist 
would  be  called  a  genius. 

To  be  great  one  must  seek  the  source  of 
Universal  Thought  and  learn  to  be  at  one 
with  the  mainspring  of  his  own  being, — 
there,  in  quiet  moments  of  deep  repose,  he 
will  find  out  what  his  talents,  loves  and  inter- 
ests are,  and  with  humble  acknowledgement 
he  will  be  what  he  is,  free  from  false  desires 
and  wearying  ambitions,  knowing  that  all 
must  eventually  come  to  this  same  point. 
Then  whether  he  sings  or  plays,  writes, 
speaks,  or  acts,  builds  bridges  or  directs  a 
bank,  he  will  be  natural,  and  unaffected, 
doing  all  to  the  glory  of  God.  Let  the  world 
call  the  result  what  it  will!  In  Truth  and  in 
verity  the  essence  of  his  work  will  be  great 
and  his  name  will  shine  with  the  immortals, 
though  never  a  breath  of  fame  blows  it 
across  the  sky  and  only  his  humble  and  daily 
companions  are  awake  to  his  presence. 
40 


ON  SERVING  OTHERS 

It  is  sometimes  puzzling  to  know  just  how 
to  serve  people.  You  do  a  thing  for  some- 
one that  seems  to  you  particularly  nice  and 
he  scarcely  notices  it;  again  a  service  is 
rendered  quite  unconsciously  and  behold, 
someone  folds  you  in  his  embrace  and  calls 
you  the  most  wonderful  friend  in  the  world. 

There  must  be  a  natural  law  for  service,  as 
there  is  for  every  activity;  and  part  of  life's 
work  is  to  discover  how  this  law  may  be 
appropriated. 

I  have  observed  that  birds  and  flowers  do 
not  run  about  trying  to  serve  people;  they 
just  sing  and  grow,  giving  a  wealth  of  happi- 
ness to  others  without  the  slightest  effort. 

Only  human  beings  formulate  great  laws 
for  service  and  become  so  bound  by  rules  of 
organization  that  they  make  an  end  of  the 
thing  which  should  have  been  the  means, 
and  all  real  joy  is  lost. 

To  be  sure,  the  Creator  gave  the  flowers 
and  birds  for  man's  enjoyment,  and  creative 
wisdom  gives  according  to  law  so  it  well 
behooves  us  to  follow  this  plan. 
41 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


A  great  deal  of  so-called  service  is  due  to 
egotism — someone  thinks  she  knows  what 
another  should  do  better  than  that  one  him- 
self— so  she  dictates  and  interferes  and 
"does  things"  for  him,  to  his  utter  discomfort 
and  her  final  discouragement. 

There  is  scarcely  more  genuine  satisfac- 
tion in  any  one  phase  of  life,  than  in  under- 
taking a  new  matter  for  one's  self.  How 
truly  annoying  it  is,  when  one  has  reached 
the  interesting  point  of  carrying  out  ideas 
that  have  been  carefully  formulated  by  some 
degree  of  pains  taken  to  make  the  project 
worth  trying — how  truly  annoying  it  may  be, 
to  have  some  one  say  at  that  point  "Dear 
me!  Let  me  help  you!  This  is  an  interest- 
ing undertaking  and  I've  had  so  much  more 
experience  than  you,  that  I  want  to  show 
you  just  how  to  do  it!" 

If  you  are  approached  at  a  moment  of 
fatigue,  you  weakly  give  in  and  joy  takes 
wings.  But  if  you  are  feeling  strong  and  fit, 
you  simply  smile  and  say  "Thank  you,  but  I 
believe  I'll  try  my  own  way!"  and  then  you 
go  ahead  unconcernedly  attending  to  your 
own  business,  with  a  prayer  in  your  heart 
42 


On    Serving     Others 


that  your  friend  will  do  the  same  thing. 
Generally  he  does. 

So  far  as  I  know,  the  chief  advantage  a 
man  has  over  nature,  is  the  intelligent  under- 
standing he  may  have  of  nature  and  the 
power  to  appropriate  the  laws  underlying  the 
Universe. 

Why  do  we  not  serve  in  the  very  highest 
sense  of  the  word  by  merely  attending  to  our 
own  work  faithfully,  and  giving  help  to 
others  when  they  ask  for  it?  There  may  be 
exceptional  cases,  where  one  is  incapable  of 
asking  the  help  he  needs;  but  generally 
speaking,  we  are  all  capable  of  helping  our- 
selves more  than  we  do,  and  we  also  are 
pretty  fair  judges  of  the  amount  of  help  we 
actually  need  from  others  in  order  to  avoid 
failure. 

One  very  lovely  way  of  serving  on  the  part 
of  serious  students  of  music,  is  to  play  the 
best  things  they  know,  willingly  and  happily, 
when  asked  on  social  occasions  to  play.  This 
statement  may  be  a  bit  like  preaching  rather 
than  a  reflection,  but  I  have  often  wondered 
at  the  enormous  amount  of  time  and  money 
expended  by  music  students  on  good  music, 
43 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


with  the  best  teachers  and  that  the  sequel 
should  be  so  often  ragtime.  This  is  not  a 
protest  against  ragtime,  but  I  simply  wonder 
where  the  plain  common  sense  comes  in, 
when  the  energy  is  given  to  the  study  of 
serious  music  and  the  student  prefers  to  play 
ragtime  to  his  friends,  of  an  evening.  There 
is  something  wrong  somewhere  in  the 
scheme  of  such  musical  planning. 

If  all  students  who  truly  believe  in  the 
elevating  mission  of  music  would  band  to- 
gether in  a  great  crusade  against  the  per- 
formance of  cheap  pieces,  the  world  would 
receive  as  great  an  influence  toward  the 
achievement  of  permanent  beauty  as  could 
be  given  by  any  other  actively  launched  plan 
to  maintain  high  standards. 

I  cannot  see  that  things  have  ever  been 
helped  in  any  line,  when  the  one  with  the 
larger,  finer  vision  descends  to  practice  habi- 
tually the  ideas  of  the  unidealistic  brother. 
With  every  single  human  being  life  is  a  con- 
tinual choice  between  the  better  of  two  ways, 
and  I  am  only  wondering  is  it  worth  while 
choosing  the  lower  way,  in  order  to  be  sure 
of  jolly  company!  Having  seen  the  ideal 
44 


On    Serving     Others 


way  from  the  beginning  and  having  once  put 
one's  hand  to  the  plow,  there  cannot  be  a 
turning  back  without  tragic  consequences. 
The  idealistic  way  may  be  harder,  but  it  is 
also  the  happier,  as  anyone  may  prove 
quickly  enough  by  practicing  the  choice  of 
the  larger,  better  life  for  a  while.  It  does 
bring  about  a  change  in  the  nature  of  one's 
intimacies,  but  always  by  improvement. 
Then  when  you  serve,  you  give  of  your  best 
to  those  who  deserve  your  best  and  the 
balance  sheet  is  square  in  its  account. 

Another  thing  that  has  set  me  wondering 
is,  why  so  many  first  class  professional 
musicians  give  their  services  free  of  charge? 
Merchants  invited  out  of  an  evening  are  not 
supposed  to  bring  presents  to  the  family 
from  their  store — nor  does  the  host  consider 
his  merchant  guest  ungracious  because  he 
hasn't  seen  fit  to  hand  him  a  roll  of  silk  after 
dinner.  Perhaps,  because  real  musicions  are 
so  much  like  children,  so  naturally  un- 
business-like  and  so  idealistic  in  tendency, 
they  fear  the  charge  of  commercializing  their 
art,  and  so  fall  to  the  other  extreme  and  un- 
derestimate it.  All  musicians  desire  the 
45 


Reflections     of    a    Musician 


close  acquaintance  of  friends  who  love  their 
work  and  take  comfort  in  it,  and  need  just 
such  companies  to  whom  they  may  offer 
themselves  when  the  musical  spirit  moves. 
But  why  should  a  pianist  or  singer  perform 
free  of  charge  at  Mrs.  B's  reception  because 
little  Johnny  takes  lessons  of  him!  I'm  just 
wondering,  that's  all!  Does  he  fear  to  lose 
his  pupil  by  declining  to  perform  under  those 
circumstances?  Or  does  he  enjoy  public  ap- 
pearances so  much,  that  he  prefers  an  unpaid 
appearance  to  none ; — supposing  he  is  unable 
to  find  a  pay  engagement? 

Are  musicians  always  to  be  guileless,  the 
victim  of  the  sponger  and  the  social  servitors 
of  their  day? 

I  can't  see  that  this  is  service;  rather  is  it 
seriously  retarding  the  progress  of  social 
ethics,  by  this  constantly  giving  something 
for  nothing.  Humanity  can't  stand  it,  at 
present. 

To  sum  up  then,  what  constitutes  true 
service?  It  seems  to  be  such  a  mutual  thing 
that  both  the  giver  and  the  recipient  are  of 
the  greatest  mutual  value  to  each  other.  A 
Symphony  Concert  could  scarcely  take  place 
46 


On    Serving     Others 


without  an  audience  and  I  hesitate  to  say 
that  the  audience  is  unimportant  to  the  pro- 
duction. So  it  is  with  anything  that  is  given, 
and  if  one  is  more  blessed  than  the  other,  it 
is  the  one  who  gives  in  the  right  spirit  to  an- 
other, in  need  of  what  he  has  to  offer. 

The  greatest  moments  of  service  are  surely 
the  most  self-forgetful  ones,  and  petty  per- 
sonalities are  wholly  lost  in  the  moments  of 
beautiful  realization.  To  strive  to  serve  is  as 
painful  as  it  is  futile,  but  to  give  lavishly 
without  striving  is  the  Creator's  way  and  ac- 
complishes His  work.  To  serve,  presupposes 
much  honest  preparation,  since  individuals 
naturally  cannot  give  what  they  do  not  pos- 
sess, be  it  time,  money,  music  or  one's  self. 
The  last  is  the  most  difficult  and  slowest  to 
learn,  but  when  one  has  mastered  this 
master  lesson,  the  question  of  service 
through  all  avenues  is  settled,  since  there  is 
always  an  immediate  and  constant  need  for 
everything  that  one  honestly  has  to  give,  if 
the  eyes  see  the  opportunity  and  the  ears 
hear  the  call. 


47 


ON  WAITING 

In  America  a  general  feeling  of  rush  per- 
vades the  land.  From  childhood's  days  to 
old  age,  we  are  either  silently  or  audibly  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  we  must  hurry, 
until  the  habit  is  so  strongly  formed  that  we 
become  slaves  to  an  unthinking  process  that 
began  before  we  were  born. 

A  quiet  day  in  the  country,  full  of  the  real- 
ization of  nature's  methods  generally  leaves 
in  the  soul  a  far  more  vital  sense  of  having 
lived,  than  a  day  in  the  city  following  social 
orders,  going  to  concerts,  and  seeing  no  end 
of  people.  It  may  be  that  just  the  opposite 
should  be  the  case,  and  under  certain  circum- 
stances it  would  be.  All  depends  upon  the 
viewpoint,  the  attitude  reached  and  main- 
tained toward  people  and  events. 

There  are  such  varied  types  of  men  that 
every  condition  is  needed,  but  unless  you 
realize  the  conditions  necessary  to  your  own 
true  unfoldment,  you  may  find  yourself 
roaming  the  spaces  of  life's  area,  without 
getting  nearer  the  realization  of  your 
cherished  dreams. 

48 


On     Waiting 

Of  all  the  lessons  we  Americans  need  most 
to  learn,  and  perhaps  the  most  difficult  one, 
is  simply  waiting.  From  merely  standing 
for  a  street  car,  to  waiting  for  one's  deepest 
heart's  desire,  an  impatience  sooner  or  later 
creeps  in,  robbing  us  eventually  of  health 
and  happiness.  There  must  be  some  vital, 
active  process  in  simply  waiting,  which  we 
fail  to  realize  and  again  we  look  to  nature 
for  our  lesson. 

Could  we  imagine  the  earth  anxious  to 
turn  more  rapidly  on  its  axis?  The  ocean 
anxious  to  show  more  billows? 

When  we  live  according  to  clear  thought, 
true  feeling  and  inspiration,  we  are  at  one 
with  God's  processes,  and  being  so,  are  con- 
tent to  do  the  next  bit  of  work,  unhasting, 
unresting,  leaving  the  result  to  a  wise  and 
fixed  law. 

Of  all  the  places  where  the  meaning  of 
waiting  should  be  mastered,  a  large  city  is 
the  most  necessary  place.  I  have  heard 
many  thinking,  interesting  people  say  that 
they  have  found  it  absolutely  necessary  to 
get  to  the  country  in  order  to  restore  poise, 
49 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


and  even  after  having  found  it,  three  months 
of  the  usual  city  life  destroyed  it  again. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  forty  nine  out  of  fifty 
of  the  things  most  of  us  do,  are  unnecessary. 
Simplify!  Simplify!  SIMPLIFY!  These  un- 
necessary things  negate  our  very  individuali- 
ties until  we  finally  cease  having  real  tastes 
or  run  to  the  other  extreme  and  become  over- 
heated in  the  attainment  of  our  desires. 

There  is  a  fundamental  fact  that  is  vital  to 
poise,  namely,  only  the  truly  Beautiful  and 
Useful  are  necessary  to  the  process  we  call 
living; — the  thousand  other  things  born  of 
greed,  insincerity,  and  artificiality,  dull  the 
heart,  fetter  the  imagination  and  pervert  the 
mind. 

I  cannot  attain  one  thing  by  neglect  of 
another,  but  haste  indicates  that  I  may.  If 
I  leave  a  duty  to  run  to  see  a  friend,  the  frame 
of  mind  I  carry  with  me  precludes  all  possi- 
bility of  a  sincere  encounter.  Get  through 
with  the  business  in  hand  in  a  first-class 
fashion,  for  then  is  the  mind  free  to  turn  to 
one's  friend  and  a  whole-hearted  greeting 
will  you  be  able  to  give. 

When  we  come  to  the  matter  and  manner 
50 


On     Waiting 

of  working,  music  of  all  work,  cannot  be 
hurried.  Past  practice  ruins  technique,  and 
eventually  hinders  all  true  interpretation. 
Perhaps  fast  practice  has  been  accountable 
for  more  musical  failures  than  any  other 
fault.  Eight  out  of  ten  students  practice  too 
rapidly,  and  many  a  professional  has  daily 
to  remind  himself  that  slow  practice  is  the 
only  safe  method.  Why,  then,  this  desire  to 
hurry  through  a  composition?  It  must  be 
for  the  stupid  idea  that  the  faster  you  go  the 
sooner  you  will  learn  it.  If  it  should  be  that 
more  serious  mental  habit,  nervousness  at 
the  thought  of  performance,  then  all  thought 
of  performance  must  be  given  up  until  poise 
is  established. 

Music  of  all  subjects,  cannot  be  hurried. 
To  be  sure,  some  of  the  greatest  composi- 
tions are  written  in  an  incredibly  short  time 
and  compositions  have  often  been  memorized 
for  performance  very  quickly,  but  in  these 
cases,  haste  does  not  enter  in.  Rather  is  it 
due  to  the  ability,  (accumulated  through  the 
years  of  waiting),  to  build  up  thought 
processes  of  solidity,  of  mental  concentra- 
tion, finally  reaching  a  point  where  inspired 
51 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


illumination  becomes  a  factor  in  daily  work 
and  whole  pages  are  grasped  and  mastered  in 
a  twinkling.  Haste,  even  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree, cuts  the  connection  between  solid  thought 
and  inspiration. 

So  it  must  seem  that  we  must  wait  for  all 
things  to  mature,  and  the  ability  to  wait  with 
unruffled  mind  and  even  active  joy,  doing  for 
others  while  you  wait  for  your  own  to  come 
to  you,  is  one  of  the  sure  harbingers  of  the 
fruition  of  your  dreams. 


52 


DISCOVERIES 

I  am  born  today  and  I  start  life  with  a 
fresh,  clean  page.  In  this  today  there  is 
nothing  behind  me  to  erase,  and  God's  great 
plan  lies  ahead  for  anticipation. 

***** 

I  know  not  the  people  about  me,  though 
they  are  said  to  be  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. There  is  a  veil  between  them  and 
me,  a  veil  of  their  own  desiring.  The  uni- 
versal law  that  brings  my  own  to  me,  will 
lift  the  veil  from  these  lives,  when  I  need  to 
penetrate  its  thickness.  As  lightning  pierces 
the  darkness,  so  will  my  intuition  pierce  the 
wrappings  jealously  guarding  the  souls  of 
those  who  are  mine.  As  for  the  others,  we 
are  strangers,  though  we  meet  daily. 
***** 

Levity  is  apt  to  tarnish  the  gold  of 
thought  for  it  does  not  spring  from  inno- 
cence. Gaiety  has  a  sparkle  in  it  and  there- 
fore to  be  trusted.  If  gaiety  comes  not  spon- 
taneously, it  were  better  quietly  to  love  God 

and  be  still. 

***** 

53 


Reflections     of    a    Musician 


The  poet's  mission  is  to  keep  the  childlike 
pure,  in  the  heart  of  man. 

*  *  #  *  * 

The  musician's  lot  is  to  express  emotion, 
whether  profound  or  charmingly  simple  and 
should  he  be  unable  to  do  this,  he  is  a  musi- 
cian in  name  only. 

*  *  *  *  * 

All  artists  exist  to  hold  the  world  to  the 
simplicity  of  innocency  and  beauty.  Strange 
worldly  wisdoms  hide  from  men  God's 
treasures,  but  the  little  child  wanders 
through  a  field  of  daisies,  a  part  of  it,  in  un- 
conscious consciousness. 

*  *  *  *  * 

Anxiety  would  rush  in  when  the  soul  is  at 
rest  and  rob  it  of  its  birthright,  the  peace 
earned  through  faithfulness  to  duty.  Real 
peace  vibrates  with  tense  reality  and  gives 
a  tone  of  wondrous  beauty,  for  it  is  a  harp 
formed  of  the  purified  human  heart  and  the 
Musician  is  God,  Himself,  touching  the  harp 
with  the  firmness  and  tenderness  of  the 
Master. 


54 


Discoveries 


I  will  not  peer  through  the  windows  of  to- 
day, anxiously  scanning  the  horizon  of  to- 
morrow, lest  there  be  sorrow  in  its  embrace. 
Listen  to  the  song  of  today;  the  air,  rain, 
sun,  clouds,  grass,  grain,  trees,  flowers,  fruit, 
mountains,  valleys  and  ocean  all  call  saying: 
"We  are  with  you  today,  but  tomorrow  we 
will  all  be  changed.  Night  will  fall,  bathed 
in  moonlight,  dawn  will  bring  the  early 
morning  dew  and  tomorrow  we  will  not  be  as 
we  are  today.  Awake  thou  sleeping  one  and 
enter  the  realm  of  realization,  which  is  the 
ability  to  live  in  the  great  today!" 

****** 

All  this  may  be  heard  in  fine  music  and 
something  may  be  added  to  it,  too  deep  for 
speech.  Music  covers  every  realm,  for  the 
earth  was  formed  to  the  rhythm  of  the  Uni- 
versal pulse  of  God  and  the  harmony  of  His 
thought  holds  the  stars  to  their  courses. 

Only  man  may  try  to  produce  a  false  tone 
and  call  it  music,  but  that  will  fall  away  like 
an  old  garment.  Real  music,  brim  full  of  a 
pure,  sparkling  freshness  not  to  be  imitated, 
will  always  live,  for  there  will  always  be  the 
pure  in  heart  to  give  it  birth. 
55 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


A  soul  does  not  trust  itself  until  it  learns 
to  trust  the  native  integrity  of  its  own  being. 
Freedom  is  attained  by  risking  the  scorn  of 
men  and  following  the  light  of  Love.  Then 
it  strangely  follows  that  those  who  have 
scorned  will  one  day  appreciate  the  marvel 
of  untramelled  being  and  will  praise  the  God 
in  you  whom  before  they  rejected. 

***** 

Music  is  like  life,  it  shifts  with  ever  chang- 
ing meaning  and  you  must  seize  today's 
melody,  for  it  will  never  come  again.  The 
great  desire  within  to  express  thought  and 
being  through  art  in  some  form,  is  but  half 
the  process.  Just  at  hand  lies  the  material 
by  means  of  which  you  may  express  the 
emotion  or  exalted  state  of  being.  A  dreamy 
inaction  is  better  than  a  dreamless  one,  but 
when  you  seize  your  dream  and  make  it  a 
reality,  when  thought  becomes  a  poem  or  a 
picture,  statue  or  cathedral,  symphony,  novel 
or  drama,  then  you  have  let  life's  energy  use 
you  in  nature's  way  and  have  demonstrated 
your  right  to  live. 


56 


Discoveries 


Fear  of  failure  paralyzes  the  mind  and 
loses  to  the  world  many  a  great  work.  The 
true  in  heart  have  braved  the  dangers  of 
failure  and  have  always,  just  beyond,  come 
unto  a  marvelous  success.  Take  but  one 
step  in  the  right  direction,  and  your  cause 
is  greatly  won,  since  the  process  of  success 
is  but  a  series  of  such  steps. 

***** 

A  work  of  Art  may  bring  you  to  yourself, 
but  after  that  your  action  is  the  thing. 
Value  the  impulse  within  to  act,  as  a  priceless 
jewel.  There  are  a  thousand  ways  of  being 
stimulated  to  action:  the  glance  of  a  friend 
may  bring  me  to  my  feet  in  an  ecstacy  of 
resolve  and  I  may  go  forth  in  consequence  to 
victory;  I  have  known  the  song  of  a  little 
bird  to  open  the  way  to  heavenly  accom- 
plishment; and  the  cheerful  blaze  on  the 
hearth  within,  of  a  rainy  day,  has  furnished 
dreams  out  of  which  great  achievements 
have  grown. 


57 


Reflections     of    a     Musician 


The  commonplace  is  only  monotonous  be- 
cause we  have  not  found  the  many  little 
secret  springs  for  happy  action  therein. 

***** 

Do  not  underestimate  your  present  place 
and  work!  The  consequences  of  doing  well 
the  thing  in  hand  will  be  of  inestimable  value 
to  you  at  a  time  of  which  you  little  dream! 

***** 

Would  you  have  music  in  your  soul?  Then 
cultivate  the  habit  of  gratitude  for  every- 
thing in  your  life.  If  your  heart  is  so  black 
and  your  mind  so  darkened  that  you  cannot 
see  your  many  causes  for  thanksgiving,  go 
to  the  most  miserable  outcast  you  know,  tell 
him  your  state  and  let  him  help  you.  You 
have  fallen  lower  than  the  lowest  thought 
you  have  of  man's  ability  to  give  his  life  to 
folly,  and  only  one  whom  you  scorn  can  help 
you.  Action  alone  will  save  you  and  an  ac- 
tion that  sends  the  lightning  of  God's  judg- 
ment to  the  center  of  your  heart,  burning  the 
miserable  selfishness  of  you  until  it  crum- 
bles to  ashes,  filling  you  with  such  humility 
that  you  are  grateful  for  the  least  of  His 
58 


Discoveries 

mercies.  Then  a  melody  will  flow  from  your 
heart  and  your  lips  will  praise  the  great  Crea- 
tor with  a  song  of  Thanksgiving. 

*  «  *  *  * 

I  have  often  thought  that  I  would  be  hap- 
pier were  I  in  a  little  different  set  of  circum- 
stances. But  the  thought  is  soon  seen  to  be 
shallow,  and  happy  the  man,  who,  seeing  the 
shallowness  of  it,  stays  where  he  is,  until  all 
of  life  calls  him  to  something  higher.  He  is 
then  moved  by  that  inexorable  something 
men  are  wont  to  name  Pate,  an  irresistible 
impulse  that  carries  him  on  in  spite  of  him- 
self to  larger  and  nobler  things. 

***** 

This  is  the  end  of  all  study;  that  I  may 
so  enshrine  the  vital  thought  of  the  beauti- 
ful within  my  heart  that  it  will  presently  melt 
itself  into  my  being  and  lose  itself  in  my 
knowing,  until  the  Truth  and  I  are  one:  and 
I  cannot  tell  which  may  be  the  Truth  and 
which  be  I,  so  at  one  have  we  become. 
***** 

59 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


Before  the  song  of  the  nightingale  came 
from  the  heart  of  the  thicket,  it  dwelt  in  the 
invisible. 

Then  a  thought  blossomed  in  the  Mind  of 
Love  till  it  became  expression,  and  I  heard 
the  song  of  the  nightingale,— 

The  song!     Whence  came  it? 

Whither  goest  it? 

To  what  purpose  was  it  created? 

The  melody!     The  lovely  thing, 

Straight  from  the  unspoiled  vastness  of  un- 

selfed  thought! 
To  what  purpose  is  it  given? 
The  poem,  inspired  of  fervor 
Lent  by  the  spirit  of  Creation  to  the  thought 

of  humanity! 

Are  these  things  for  naught? 
Listen  soul! 
Climb  to  the  stars, 

While  your  arms  encircle  the  human  family; 
Love  them  with  a  throbbing  passion 
Of  pure  devotion, 
And  from  the  heights, 
Drop  into  their  hearts 
The  song,  the  melody  and  the  poem, 
That  they  may  take  comfort  thereby  and 

learn  to  grow  in  grace. 


60 


Discoveries 


Clear  eyes! 

How  wonderful  you  are! 
You  look  with  the  vision 
Of  a  purified  heart; 
You  see  that  God  made 
All  that  was  made 
And  called  it  "Good!" 

Cloudy  eyes! 

How  strangely  mistaken  you  are! 

You  see  trees  walking 

As  though  they  were  men, 

You  see  a  fallen  and  sinful  world; 

You  see  that  God  placed  a  curse  upon  Adam 

Commanding  him  to  toil  for  his  daily  bread. 

Your  soul  grows  hard, 

Your  voice  is  sharp, 

Your  face  grows  wrinkled 

And  your  hands  feeble, 

Cloudy  eyes, 

You  could  brush  away  the  shadow 

If  you  would, 

Cloudy  eyes! 

But  you  will  not  see  that  you  may  do  it! 

A  veil  is  over  your  face, 

And  you  tear  it  not  off. 

So  it  is  with  the  daughters  of  Eve 

And  they  make  their  lives  through  the  veil  of 

the  flesh, 

So  that  reality  is  hidden  from  their  view. 
The  morning  is  fresh  and  clear, 
61 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


Nature's  womb  palpitates 
With  the  holy  throb  of  living 
And  all  of  life  is  a  psalm. 
The  clear  vision  has  seen  it, 
And  it  will  be  so  forever. 
But  Cloudy  Eyes 
Pulls  the  veil  of  flesh 
Over  her  face, 
And  walks  in  the  shadows 
Of  strange  untruths. 

Clear  Eyes! 

How  wonderful  you  are! 
You  look  with  the  vision 
Of  a  purified  heart; 
You  see  that  God  made 
All  that  was  made, 
And  called  it  Good ! 


62 


ENCOURAGEMENT 

There  is  an  old,  much  used  saying  to  the 
effect  that  the  Devil's  irresistible  tool  is  dis- 
couragement. Barring  the  fact  that  very 
few  persons  live  who  believe  in  a  personal 
devil  or  that  he  uses  tools,  it  is  nevertheless 
true  that  discouragement  is  a  quality  of  mind 
more  certain  to  defeat  our  hopes  than  any 
other  quality  known  to  human  conscious- 
ness. 

Reasoning  inversely,  intelligent  encourage- 
ment should  be  the  human  lever,  capable  of 
bringing  us  "back  to  normal"  more  promptly 
than  any  other  quality.  And  this  is  true. 

To  encourage  one  to  continue  a  calling 
for  which  he  has  no  aptitude,  or  to  take  a 
trip  which  lies  along  perilous  regions,  would 
indeed  be  criminal!  But  to  encourage  right 
activity,  intelligently,  is  a  work  fit  for  the 
gods  and  has  saved  many  a  career,  when 
shattered  hope  would  have  hugged  defeat. 

Vulgar  flattery  and  inordinate  praise  are 
stupid  habits  and  react  disastrously  upon  the 
one  prone  to  such  ways. 

Encouragement  is  the  sign  of  intelligent 
63 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


and  unselfish  interest  in  others.  It  sees  the 
problem,  seizes  the  heart  of  the  matter,  is 
able  to  point  out  the  strong  as  well  as  the 
weak  places  and  can  explain  how  to  increase 
the  former  and  destroy  the  latter. 

The  old  fashioned  idea  of  criticism  is,  that 
the  self-imposed  critic  should  find  flaws  in 
the  work,  and  the  more  flaws  found  the  bet- 
ter the  criticism. 

The  new  idea  of  criticism  is,  that  the  critic 
is  one  who,  because  of  his  profound  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject  is  able  to  show  how 
nearly  the  work  approaches  the  truth  con- 
cerning the  matter  and  how  to  enlarge  the 
good  points  already  made. 

Modern  psychology  is  very  clear  regard- 
ing the  depressing  results  of  a  fault-finding 
attitude.  Where  once  it  was  considered  the 
sign  of  intelligent,  now  it  is  considered 
merely  ignorance. 

Anyone,  be  he  child  or  adult,  when  en- 
gaged in  a  consciously  constructive  piece  of 
work,  with  a  conviction  of  its  usefulness,  is 
walking  in  the  right  direction,  and  should  be 
encouraged  to  continue,  although  the  adept 
who  sees  the  crude  beginnings  may  recog- 
64 


Encouragement 


nize  the  faultiness  in  much  of  its  construc- 
tion. 

Encouragement  does  not  necessarily  mean 
praise,  but  it  does  mean  always  the  act  of  show- 
ing another  how  to  go  happily  on.  Even  though 
a  human  situation  may  seem  hopeless,  there 
is  ever  a  Divine  remedy,  and  the  encourager 
never  recommends  desertion,  but  he  praises 
faithfulness. 

Encouragement  may  be  given  us  at  any 
period,  no  matter  how  well  we  may  think  the 
day  is  going,  and  if  rightly  given  we  grow 
thereby.  It  must  be  given  from  our  highest 
level,  and  when  we  drop  down,  suffering  is 
God's  remedy  to  spur  us  on  again. 

"Despise  not  the  day  of  small  things"  is  a 
good  motto,  for  carefulness  in  little  things 
insures  accuracy  in  larger  matters.  It  is 
well  to  discriminate  between  the  state  of 
mind  that  requires  carefulness  of  detail  and 
the  state  of  mind  liable  to  become  petty.  The 
first  is  merely  requiring  honesty  of  oneself, 
the  second  takes  credit  to  self  for  not  shirk- 
ing a  plain  duty.  Pettiness  calls  attention  to 
self;  the  ability  to  be  true  to  detail,  throws 
the  attention  toward  the  work. 
65 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


No  matter  how  absurd  a  piece  of  work 
may  seem  to  you,  no  matter  how  ugly  a  life 
may  impress  you  as  being,  if  you  are  a  dis- 
cerner  of  thought,  you  will  always  find  a  bit 
of  the  truth  in  the  work,  or  the  person  in- 
volved. Seize  this  fact,  bring  it  out  into  the 
white  light  of  day,  praise  it  and  show  the  one 
most  concerned  how  to  improve  upon  it.  If 
you  cannot  do  this,  then  to  criticise  is  to 
lend  yourself  temporarily  to  defeating  the 
cause  of  righteousness  by  depressing, 
through  unconstructive  and  thoughtless 
speaking,  one  who  may  be  making  frantic 
efforts  towards  the  light. 

Foster  within  you  the  fact  that  every  man 
is  as  truly  desirous  of  success  as  you  are.  Be 
slow  to  speak  on  the  subject  with  which  you 
are  little  acquainted,  and  be  humble  in  giving 
the  knowledge  that  you  have  acquired 
through  honest  work. 

At  the  end,  remember  that  the  true  en- 
courager  encourages  most,  when  he  is  striv- 
ing the  most  diligently  to  complete  the  task 
before  him  and  therefore  has  no  time  to  find 
fault  with  the  processes  of  his  neighbor.  One 
66 


Encouragement 


grown  clear  and  straight  through  the  dis- 
charge of  his  own  duty,  is  alone  capable  of 
intelligently  criticizing  and  thus  encouraging 
his  brother.  Then  the  process  of  criticism 
has  become  a  process  of  enlightenment,  and 
so  is  good. 


67 


ON     CONTENTMENT 

Contentment  is  dynamic!  It  is  twin  sister 
to  a  Divine  discontent  "that  neither  slum- 
bers nor  sleeps"  and  they  walk  hand  in  hand. 

Contentment  has  at  its  root  the  knowledge 
of  the  Universal  fulfillment  of  desire  and  the 
willingness  to  wait  patiently  for  that  end. 

All  honest  desire  is  legitimate,  for  the  ob- 
taining of  an  end  teaches  the  truth  about 
it,  namely,  that  nothing,  friends  or  family, 
possessions,  fame  or  beauty  can  satisfy  un- 
less one  can  wholeheartedly  share  them.  It 
is  the  act  of  sharing  a  possession  with  an- 
other who  desires  it,  that  brings  contentment 
and  not  the  possession  of  the  thing  itself. 

I  am  sitting  by  my  window  on  a  lovely 
summer's  day  when  the  sky  is  clear,  the 
breeze  a  balm,  the  distant  mountain's  mystic 
blue,  and  a  farmer  is  cutting  his  oats  near  by. 
No  sound  disturbs  the  peace  of  my  fairy 
bower,  save  the  song  of  birds,  the  murmur- 
ing pines  and  the  regular  sound  of  the  ma- 
chine in  the  distant  oats-field.  Yes!  I  am 
content!  And  even  as  I  acknowledge  this, 
68 


I  take  my  pen  and  find  an  added  joy  in  trying 
to  tell  you  of  it.  An  ineradicable  quality  of 
content  is  the  ability  to  share  your  gifts  with  an- 
other. 

Real  contentment  does  not  lead  to  sleep  or 
death,  but  is  invigorating  and  health-giving. 
It  is  coupled  with  an  independent  attitude  of 
mind  and  heart  that  prays  and  then  go  on  to 
help  answer  the  prayer.  Contentment  is  not 
a  beggar  and  the  inertia  of  idleness  can  never 
know  the  active  peace  of  true  contentment. 

An  artist  only  reaches  the  land  of  content- 
ment when  he  realizes  that  he  is  master  of 
his  art  and  is  at  last  able  to  rely  upon  his  own 
judgment,  with  the  true  humility  of  a  Mas- 
ter. Depending  upon  others  for  the  final 
word  about  a  thing  causes  a  steadily  declin- 
ing ability  to  judge  keenly,  and  such  a  mind 
knows  but  a  portion  of  contentment. 

At  a  certain  angle  of  each  man's  thought 
is  presented  the  opportunity  to  sow  the  seed 
of  contentment.  Unfortunate  though  it  may 
seem  to  be,  no  one  can  quite  tell  another 
the  angle,  but  each  must  know  it  for  himself. 
It  is  born  of  innate  intuition  and  is  never  the 
69 


Reflections     of     a     Musician 


result  of  external  training  or  circumstances. 
Say  not  that  all  men  cannot  possess  such  in- 
tuition, for  you  break  life's  mainspring  when 
you  become  convicted  of  such  a  thought.  In- 
tuition is  dulled  by  misuse,  and  resurrected 
when  followed,  even  though  its  gleam  be  but 
a  faint  star's  light.  To  follow  it  is  to  live. 

It  would  indeed  be  a  simple  matter  should 
a  wise  man  say  "Do  thus  and  so  you  will  be 
content!" 

Have  you  never  been  at  work  and  suddenly 
felt  that  you  were  in  your  right  place,  doing 
the  right  thing?  And  was  not  the  con- 
sciousness of  it  followed  by  a  wave  of  con- 
tent quite  impossible  to  define? 

I  venture  to  say  that  work  well  done  brings 
contentment  sooner  than  anything  else,  but 
this  also  must  be  under  right  conditions  and 
not  under  compulsion. 

Contentment  seems  to  be  at  the  juncture 
of  two  lines  of  consciousness;  first  the  reali- 
zation that  your  own  character  and  events 
have  placed  you  just  where  you  are,  and 
second,  that  an  element  of  true  manhood  is 
that  quality  which  refuses  to  be  overcome, 
and  inevitably  finds  the  way  out.  Unite 
70 


On    Contentment 


these  two  states  of  consciousness  and  you 
are  master  of  the  situation.  A  sense  of 
mastery  over  events  brings  contentment  of 
the  truest  sort,  but  it  is  earned  sturdily  and 
is  unknown  to  the  weakling. 

How  many  children  are  compelled  to  study 
music  without  a  natural  taste  for  it!  Parents 
not  only  have  their  own  independent  de- 
cisions to  make,  but  are  the  guardians  of 
their  children's  work  through  the  tender 
years.  How  important  is  it  to  find  the  natural 
taste  of  the  child  rather  than  to  force  him  into 
subjects  in  which  the  parents  desire  him  to  be 
proficient! 

Many  a  time  sleepy  people  have  let  their 
life  work  slip  by  because  they  were  too  lazy 
to  be  about  their  business  and  find  out  just 
what  was  their  work. — No  man's  a  clod !  But 
he  may  be  too  dull  spiritually  to  find  the 
work  that  leads  him  to  his  own.  I  see 
nothing  for  such  a  one  but  to  suffer. 

Contentment  is  truly  an  experience  known 
only  in  the  present;  has  neither  past  nor  fu- 
ture. True  growth  involves  an  ever  strength- 
ening desire  to  outdo  ones-self,  so  that  the 
best  work  of  yesterday  has  already  been 
71 


Reflections    of    a    Musician 


left  behind  and  is  fast  disappearing  in  the 
distant  horizon.  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
"resting  upon  one's  laurels." 

A  certain  laxness  in  the  accomplishment  of 
a  definitely  conceived  end,  is  a  bar  to  con- 
tentment. 

A  mind,  a  heart  and  soul  large  enough  to 
conceive  a  perfect  work,  also  must  possess 
a  conscience  that  will  be  merciless  to  laxity 
of  endeavor,  if  he  fulfills  his  destiny. 

Happy  the  man  who  has  found  his  work, 
his  homespot  and  his  place  in  the  social  or- 
der of  events!  Disturbances  without  but 
emphasize  the  contentment  within,  and  his 
intimates  are  those  who,  like  himself,  have 
arrived  at  the  period  of  contentment  when 
character  is  regarded  in  its  right  light  and 
the  shifting  events  of  mortality  but  as  pass- 
ing shadows  compared  with  the  sun. 

Who  can  deny  that  such  a  man  has  en- 
tered heaven,  although  some  may  call 
heaven  a  visible  city  of  gold  with  gates  of 
precious  stones!  Contentment  is  more 
precious  than  such  a  city  and  more  to  be 
sought. 

72 


THE  MESSAGE  OP  THE  MORNING 

To  awaken 

Hearing  the  first  songs  of  the  birds ; 

To  think  of  an  unfailing  Creator 

By  whose  bounty  all  needs  are  supplied ; 

To  be  thankful  for  the  new  day, 

Joyous  to  embrace  its  duties, 

Eager  to  know  its  surprises 

Coming  straight  from  the  heart  of  God; 

To  keep  the  strength  of  maturity 

Nor  yet  lose  the  simple-heartedness 

Of  the  little  Child; 

To  be  conscious  of  a  freshness  in  living, 

To  find  a  keen  interest  in  other's  needs 

And  to  love  yourself, 

So  that  you  may  know  how  to  love  your 

neighbor; 

To  be  conscious  of  all  these  things 
In  the  dawn  of  a  new  day, 
And  go  forth,  singing, 
Is  the  message  of  the  morning. 


73 


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